28th November 2007

Apologies to Session Diary fans who have been missing their regular dose of the angst and drama that is sessions. I was going to say that I haven't been able to get to a session for some time now, but then again, I gather that one or two got cancelled anyway.

Last Sunday, being the last Sunday of the month should have been the Irish Session at the Anchor at Faversham. I gather it was cancelled because of a dearth of musicians. Now that happens occasionally but given the past history with the place, I suspect folks just aren't inclined to make the effort like they used to.

And then last Wednesday the Irish suffered again because of some activity called 'football'. Apparently it's a popular evening out to go and watch 22 grown men run up and down a muddy field chasing a ball on something called a 'plasma screen'. And they said that Golf was a good walk spoilt. Anyway, if its one thing we've discovered, it is that Traditional Music and Football are incompatible in the same venue at the same time. So with discretion being the better part of valour and another case of not being treated that well anyway, the session was cancelled.

What we need is a pub that serves real ale, has zero technology of any kind and a clientele that appreciates traditional music. A bonus would be that it was owned by someone who appreciated traditional music and that the place had good acoustics. And a log fire in winter. And does great chips. We used to have one of those - it was called the George. And look what happened when they tinkered with it. Between being a great session pub and being boarded up for years, it enjoyed a brief life as a 'Gastropub' in the middle of nowhere.

Throughout all this though, the mixed lumpy session in the Bear at Faversham has kept going as it does. Even though it was down to a bare minimum sometimes. It's probably a good time to say thank you to Dave the landlord there who has been a friend to the music for many years now. Now you may ask why the Irish session doesn't move there and personally I wouldn't mind. Indeed we have had Irish sessions there - one Sunday when Tim Edey and Paul Lucas came down and the Anchor had forgotten we were coming and of course during the Hop Festival. Well, it's not that central (the Irish session folk come from the Medway to Deal) - oh, it actually is err quite central then. But the acoustics aren't that good for playing and you can't get that many in and it gets hot.

Maybe we're too picky.